Internet users told to take responsibility for safety

Stuart Corner
Wednesday, 11 March 2009 02:12

IT Industry - Market

The ACMA has told Australia's Internet users that they need to be more pro-active in protecting themselves online. However its conclusion could be seized on to support the argument for ISP based filtering.

The ACMA has issued this advice on the basis of a new report - Australia in the Digital Economy: Trust and Confidence - which presents the findings of a national survey of consumer attitudes and behaviour relating to online security.

"The report clearly shows that Australians see the Internet as having a positive effect on their lives,’ said ACMA chairman, Chris Chapman. ‘However, Internet users are either not taking or only taking limited measures to ensure their online security." He added: "‘These concerns do not currently form a barrier to participation in the online environment—as evidenced by the increasing numbers of people using the internet for a wide range of activities, including e-commerce and social networking.

The ACMA draws its conclusion from the survey's finding showing "widespread non-adoption of multiple protective measures." While 49 percent of those surveyed had installed anti-virus software, and 21 percent firewall software.

The ACMA also found that only 38 percent of parents surveyed had installed filtering software and that generally "there was a low level of reliance on technological solutions relative to other behavioural measures and the perception that it is difficult to keep pace with technological change."

This contrasts starkly with respondents estimates of their own skills: "eighty-one percent of Internet users are confident in their skills and perceive themselves to have average (45 percent or above average (36 percent) skills."

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